by Craig Gaydas
The giant seals stopped next to the dock, sending large waves crashing against the slips. They bobbed their heads and made a loud clicking noise, like an oversized clock badly in need of a tune up. Their heads went up and down in unison with each tick.
Tick…tick…tick.
“Ugh! Those things are too creepy for me,” Jayce commented. “If you need me, I will be on the ship taking a nap.” He vanished within the confines of the vessel.
Ajox remained on the ship, but Embeth shuffled up the ramp toward us. When he reached the top, he seemed noticeably less green and tossed us a weak smile. “Out of all the star systems in the universe, we had to make our base here,” Embeth grumbled.
“It's good to see you too,” Lianne replied.
He waved his hand dismissively before turning to Vigil. “Your people are waiting for you.” He flicked his thumb over his shoulder. “They are meeting inside the Imaginarium.”
“The what?” I asked.
Embeth turned to me and his smile faded. “I guess you can call it their war room now. It used to be a place where their greatest minds met to discuss new technological advancements. Before this war started, with the exception of their own internal conflict with the Shreen, they had been a relatively peaceful society.”
I shuffled uncomfortably under his stare. “I don't like the way you're looking at me. Are you implying I had something to do with their change in behavior?”
Embeth scowled. “I would hope you know me better than that. The reason for this war lies solely on my doorstep. We have something to discuss, you and I. That's the reasoning behind my surliness.”
I shrugged. “I know what you are going to say, but it won't change my mind.”
“Oh really?” he mocked. “So you can read minds now?” Before I had a chance to respond, he turned to Lianne. “Will you be accompanying us as well?”
She glanced at me with a look of uncertainty. “No, I think I will stay with the ship and await further instructions.”
Embeth nodded. “It looks like it's just you two.” He motioned for us to follow him to the boat.
When we reached the bottom of the ramp, Ajox approached with his arms spread wide. “Hello Nathan, it has been a while.” He grabbed me in a hug so tight I thought I heard my spine crack. He released me and held me at arm's length. Despite his pleasant demeanor, I spied sorrow in his wide, blue eyes. “I just wish you were visiting us under more pleasant circumstances.”
I couldn't help but see Satou when I looked at him. All Hydrophants looked alike with their scaly skin and tentacles dropping from their jaw lines, but from what I had seen, they came in all different sizes and colors. During my travels with the Consortium, I had seen large and small, blue-skinned, purple-skinned and even as dark as black-skinned. Ajox, however, had the same violet skin tone as Satou and both were equally large, brooding characters. We moved past the ticking seals and stepped aboard the boat. As the Hydrophants guided the vessel out of the marina, I turned to Ajox.
“What happened to Satou?”
Instead of turning to look at me, he looked down and nodded his head. “I knew you would ask that question.” He turned to look at me. “Satou was very fond of you, which I thought quite strange given his allergy to humans.” His beaked mouth curled into a smile. “He spoke highly of you and always saw your potential, despite the doubters.”
“Doubters?” I chuckled dryly. “There must have been a space ship full of them. He had to have been overwhelmed.”
Ajox narrowed his eyes and studied me intently. “I think it is you who doubts yourself the most.” He turned toward the ocean. “Anyway, I am sorry to steer your question off track there for a moment. As you know, we were attacked. We take pride on being a diplomatic and peaceful people, so our defenses were not designed for an attack of such magnitude. Our defense system is primarily used to repel attacks from the Shreen.” He turned toward me and that was when I noticed his eyes and cheeks were wet, however I wasn't sure if it was from the sea spray. “Satou and a small regiment of ex-Defense Fleet soldiers responded in assistance. We retreated to our undersea bases, but we weren't prepared for an organized aquatic assault.” He ran his fingers through his tentacles as the sorrow within his eyes reflected the sea spray. “Their underwater ships destroyed an entire city. Thousands of Hydrophants were killed. Women, children…” his voice trailed off while he took a moment to compose himself. “These were not soldiers. These were innocent miners, farmers, smiths, wives, and kids. Satou was furious with their callousness. One abyssal gunship survived the assault. Satou commandeered it and met the enemy head on. He took out half of their fleet and would have taken out more if he had taken a crew along with him.” He remained silent for several minutes. The only sounds were the waves crashing against the boat and the constant ticking of the seals.
Tick…Splash…Tick…Splash.
I assumed he was done, so I broke the silence. “What do you mean?”
Ajox sighed heavily. “His plasma turret jammed. Had he taken a crew with him, they may have repaired it in time for him to maintain his assault. Satou was a brilliant engineer, but he was a single person. An abyssal gunship runs with a standard crew of fifty. Satou was efficient, but he was not a miracle worker.” He returned his attention to the sea. “After your forces liberated us, we returned to the scene of the battle and recovered his body in the wreckage. When we have time, I will take you to his gravesite.”
“Thank you,” I offered weakly.
Ajox remained quiet for a while. It wasn't until the treetops along a distant island could be seen that he spoke again. “Don't thank me,” he muttered. “It is what Satou would have wanted.”
He brooded and stared at the island in the distance, but remained silent for the remainder of the trip; Embeth and Vigil were wrapping up an animated discussion just as we pulled into the island's port. Several Hydrophant guards circled the dock with bandoliers filled with ammunition and rifles that looked more like bazookas. A tunnel flowed into the nearby tree line and two soldiers manned turrets on each side. It seemed the attack on Vaire put the Hydrophants on constant heightened alert status. I stepped out of the boat and Embeth stepped up behind me.
“It wasn't always like this,” he remarked. “I remember times I had come here during diplomatic meetings with nothing more than a soldier to escort us to the cities below.”
“Times change my friend,” replied Ajox.
Embeth clenched his jaw, his lips remaining tight white lines underneath his beard. “Not always for the better,” he muttered.
We were escorted to the tunnel by five soldiers, including the pilots of the boat. I looked over my shoulder as we entered the confines of the tunnel and watched as one of the soldiers walked over to the giant seals, carrying a bucket of fish. He reached into the bucket, pulled out a flat fish similar to a large flounder, and dropped it into the first seal's eagerly awaiting mouth. It made a low, trumpeting sound before the guard dropped one into its partner's mouth. The ocean faded from view as we walked deeper into the tunnel. The trumpeting sounds gave way to voices making announcements over the overhead speakers.
“Executus One now docked at Pier Seven.”
“Immersion protocols initiated. For your safety, please keep clear of the shaft area.”
“Fifteen minutes until immersion.”
The voices repeated the same message, with the exception of the time, as it counted down to the impending immersion event, whatever that happened to be. We walked deeper into the tunnel where I spotted a large circular tube, surrounded by glass. At the front of the tube, a single door stood open. It seemed to be some sort of elevator, but looked like one of those chutes you would see at a bank drive thru. I assumed this was the shaft the voice overhead continued to warn us about.
Ajox must have sensed my interest in the object. “What you see ahead is the Pelagic Lift. It transports us from the surface to the cities below and vice versa.”
Everyone, but our Hydrophant escorts, ente
red the tube. The tube was large enough to accommodate at least twenty people comfortably so I didn't feel as claustrophobic as I thought when the door closed. The inside of the tube was metallic, and the color of polished silver. There were no buttons or switches of any kind on the inside. The only blemish on the smooth metal surface was a speaker embedded in the ceiling.
“Descend,” Ajox said.
That single word sparked the Pelagic Lift into action. With a loud sucking sound, the elevator moved and we descended. Layers of earth passed before giving way to the swirling depths of the ocean beneath the island. My breath was taken away as I watched the ocean world come to life around us. Everything from tiny seahorses to sharks as big as aircraft carriers swam past us. One fish in particular held my attention for some time. It looked like a dolphin, but had pectoral fins as big as wings, giving it a bird-like appearance. I moved closer to the glass and stared in amazement at our surroundings. The Vaire sun provided cascading beams of light which ebbed and flowed with the tide. The aquatic wildlife swam around the beams in a way that was practically hypnotic.
“It's beautiful, isn't it?”
I was so enamored with the scene that I didn't even notice Embeth standing next to me. “It is beautiful,” I replied.
Embeth turned to look back at Vigil, who was embroiled in a deep conversation with Ajox. Satisfied there wouldn't be any interruptions, he turned to me. “I have been thinking about your request to return to Gliese.” He ran his hand through his thick beard and I didn't fail to notice the gray hairs mixed among the brown. “From a tactical standpoint, I stand by my initial decision.”
I turned to him in anger. “But—” Embeth held up one hand to kill the argument forming on my lips before it gained any momentum.
“Save your protests and let me finish. My decision was made on the skeleton crew I have for an army. Ibune contacted me, and made a few suggestions, which changed my perceptions somewhat.”
I cocked an eyebrow with intrigue. “What did she say?”
He turned away from me and scanned the ocean depths, as if he didn't want to meet my gaze for what he had to say next. “It seems one of her colleagues, Mortem, has a plan.”
The hairs on my arms bristled at the mention of his name. Images of his pale yellow eyes and dark expression filled my thoughts, but I remained silent and let Embeth finish.
“A plan and an army,” Embeth continued. “I won't go into the tactical details regarding his plan, but I thought it would be appropriate to bring you to him so he can show you his army, since this was your idea in the first place.”
Mortem had an army. Although the chances for success to recover Kedge and liberate the rebels on Gliese increased significantly, I didn't find myself comforted by the idea. I realized, as a collective, The Timeless had only the best interests for the universe at heart, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something evil about Mortem. Perhaps I was assuming incorrectly, judging him solely on his appearance. I had to trust Embeth's instincts and not allow my prejudices to influence my decisions.
“So where has he been hiding this army?” I replied, perhaps a bit more sourly than intended. “Don't they realize this would have been extremely helpful earlier?”
With a sullen look, Embeth shook his head slowly. “I agree with you there, but the issue is they did not have this option earlier.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
Embeth hung his head and sighed deeply. “Once The Timeless told me about this army, I'm afraid to admit, I hesitated with using them at all.”
My confusion was now mixed with surprise. I assumed Embeth would jump all over the chance to bolster his ranks. The lift slowed to a stop, interrupting my thoughts. Beyond the window outside, one of the Hydrophant cities stood directly below us. I say one because the Hydrophant kingdom actually comprised of many cities surrounded by see-through domes connected by a collection of interweaving tubes, similar to the Pelagic Lift. What I originally thought were enormous fish floating near some of the cities had actually been determined, upon closer inspection, to be underwater vessels, patrolling the waters in the area. One of them drifted close to the tube. Its resemblance to the ancient plesiosaur was uncanny. I would have sworn it was an aquatic mammal had it not been for its oversized eyes and a crew of Hydrophants looking back at us from inside.
“Uncanny,” I repeated out loud.
“I'm sorry?” Embeth stared with a quizzical expression etched on his face.
I dismissed him with a swift wave of my hand. “Never mind,” I grumbled. The ship vanished from view as the lift continued its descent. Briefly, the tops of cylindrical and square-shaped skyscrapers could be seen before we continued down a long narrow shaft. Once the cityscape vanished from view, I witnessed only the cold metallic steel of the inside of the shaft. Once the distraction of the magnificent ocean was gone, I focused on Embeth's previous statement. “What did you mean when you said you were hesitant to use them?”
“It's true; I want soldiers, defenders, and protectors,” replied Embeth. “What Mortem has is none of those. What he does have is bodies, and I hate to admit, it may not be what I want, but it's what I need.”
“Bodies?” Vigil scoffed just before the lift stopped and the door opened. “You do not know Mortem as I do. What he offers is an affront to nature and a slap in the face to everything we stand for.”
Embeth whirled on him angrily. “What would you have me do? We are bleeding men as well as resources. Would you have me battle the might of the Consortium with straw men and fairy dust?”
Vigil tightened his jaw and narrowed his eyes. “It's true we are not winning this war. Although, I do not agree with it, I stand by Ibune's decision. You will get Mortem's bodies, but let's hope we don't regret it.”
Ajox's hand fell on Vigil's shoulder. “Calm yourselves. All of us are united in our cause and that is to see that the Consortium is restored to its former glory. Let us move on, shall we?” He let go of Vigil's shoulder and motioned us through the open door.
I wasn't much of an ocean person and I spent very little time on a beach, much less in the water. When we stepped off of the Pelagic Lift, however, I instantly fell in love with the Hydrophant infrastructure. The hallway was short and surrounded by bare metal walls, but ahead stood an escalator, powered by clear hydraulic tubes on either side with endless seawater pumping furiously, powering the stairs in motion. On each side of the escalator, beyond the tubes, were clear windows which afforded us a view of the ocean landscape beyond. As we stepped onto the elevator, I couldn't help but feel like I was in some kind of giant aquarium. When we reached the top of the stairs, the claustrophobic hallway gave way to a sprawling city. Hydrophants walked passed us while others drove through the streets in oversized, clear balls that reminded me of the kind hamsters ran around in. Skyscrapers tickled the top of the dome all around us. I felt like I had just stepped onto a busy street in the middle of Manhattan.
Ajox removed a brown, circular object riddled with tiny black holes from his pants pocket. At first, I thought it was a chocolate chip cookie until he spoke into it. “This is Ajox, we are ready for transport.”
A gurgling sound came from the other end in a language I didn't understand and Ajox returned the object to his pocket. I removed the universal translator from my ear and tapped it against my leg, thinking it wasn't working. Ajox turned to me and smiled.
“Your translator will not pick up our coded messages,” he explained. “We keep all internal communications secure.”
I returned the translator to my ear and nodded. Several minutes later, a bus pulled up to the curb. I only recognized it as a bus because the many windows allowed me to see the rows of seats. Unlike a bus on Earth, this one had three rows of three seats extending toward the rear. The driver, a tall, lanky Hydrophant, actually steered the vehicle from the rear. Several video monitors allowed him a panoramic view of the city around the vehicle. The vehicle was so low to the ground that it appeared to simp
ly glide along the streets. When it pulled up, it was so quiet I questioned whether it even had an engine. Six wheels, housed deep within silver wheel wells, guided the vehicle through the streets. When it came to a stop in front of us, my eyes drifted to an advertisement painted on the rear of the vehicle. It was a picture of a Hydrophant, although this one was curvy and had no tentacles extending from the chin. Instead, two sharp-angled lips, not unlike a beak, were wrapped around the edge of a can and that was when I realized that the Hydrophant was actually female. Written underneath her in bold font was the word: “Nekra.”
“Nekra,” I muttered before turning to Ajox. “What is it?”
Ajox glanced at the advertisement and chuckled. “Nekra is not an 'it', but a 'who'. She is Nekra.”
Vigil followed Ajox aboard the bus. Embeth laughed and clamped his arm over my shoulder. “You better slow down. I see the love in your eyes, but she seems like she would tear your scrawny butt to pieces rather than look at you.” His roars of laughter echoed off of the windows inside the bus. I grumbled a few choice words and slid into the closest seat.
The bus started moving again and I sat silently and watched the scenery outside. The ride itself lasted no more than fifteen minutes, but I took the time to admire the aerodynamics of our vehicle transport. Because of the large amount of windows, I felt like I was gliding along the streets all on my own. We traveled along the busy city streets with only a few curious glances tossed in our direction. Whether it was because of us or the giant Nekra poster, I could not say.
Ajox turned to me and interrupted my admiration of the view around us. “When we arrive at the Consulate, Vigil and Embeth will join The Timeless in the conference room, but you and I have another matter to attend to.”
I glanced sideways at Embeth, uneasily. His attention was focused on our surroundings so he didn't catch it. “Oh really? What matter would that be?”
“You will see,” he replied enigmatically.
